'We're not here to reinvent the wheel': Project puts Cork's transport systems in focus 

We all have places we need to be and people we’d like to see.

For most of us, travel is about everyday life - getting to work, visiting friends, doing the shopping, bringing the kids to school...

Yet, for something so ordinary, getting from A to B in Ireland has become unreasonably difficult, expensive, and time-consuming.

Despite all of the advances of modern technology - the fact that we can fly across Europe for less than the cost of a good dinner - it’s never been harder to get to the places we actually need to be every day.

A journey that once would have taken months by land or sea is now a matter of hours. Yet a trip to the doctor, a visit to an elderly parent, or popping down to the post office can feel like a logistical nightmare.

Many of us spend hours every day behind the wheel and 20-30% of our income just to participate in society, simply because of how far everything has spread and how little transport infrastructure is in place to support that change.

When rural roads become high-speed corridors, they stop being safe to walk or cycle. We imprison the young, the old, those with disabilities, and those without a car in their own homes.

For everyone else, car ownership becomes the cost of entry to participate in public life.

That’s not efficient, it’s not healthy - and it certainly isn’t fair.

For the past decade, The Environmental Forum (TEF) and Cork’s Transport & Mobility Forum (TMF) have worked to tackle this growing problem.

We’ve focused on how to reconnect people to places, safely and sustainably - through better walking and cycling infrastructure, better public transport, and policies that make daily life more accessible, not less.

That work now continues on a European stage.

From April 8-10, TEF will host, in Cork, transport and sustainability leaders from across the European Union for a major three-day event under the EMBRACER Interreg Europe initiative.

The goal is simple: to learn from each other and to improve how our cities and regions connect people to the services, communities, and opportunities they need.

Funded by the EU, EMBRACER is about transforming regional mobility - not just in major capitals, but in places like Cork, where the gaps between informal, active, and public transport modes often leave people stuck.

The project’s focus is on ‘mixing your mode’ - ensuring that walking, cycling, last-mile travel, and public transport are connected, seamless, and accessible to all.

As one of 13 project partners across Europe, TEF is proud to welcome our European colleagues to Cork City Hall, where we’ll share ideas, present policy proposals, and tour local projects that show what’s possible when planning and transport policy meet community need.

Participants will join thematic seminars on innovative governance, explore study visits from the historic city core to the Midleton-Youghal Greenway, and learn how Cork is connecting cycling routes, rail stations, and bus services into a more coherent network.

Sessions will also examine new ideas like Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS), where users can access different transport options through a single app, and last-mile solutions that help people bridge the gap from transit stops to their front doors.

We’re not here to reinvent the wheel - we’re here to get it moving in the right direction.

An efficient transport system isn’t one that gets you the farthest, fastest. It’s one that connects you with as many people, services, and opportunities as possible - while reducing the cost in time, money, and health.

That’s the future we want, and it’s one that’s already emerging across Europe.

In Cork and across Ireland, we face big challenges: transport emissions are rising rapidly, everyday journeys take longer, and car dependence continues to grow. But the solutions are within reach.

We can design our towns and cities so that everyday destinations are closer. We can support safer streets for walking and cycling. We can invest in public transport that actually connects where people live to where they need to go.

Most importantly, we can learn from each other. That’s what next week’s event is all about.

Whether it’s policy changes, new infrastructure, or community-led solutions, the EMBRACER partners are here to share what’s working - and to hear what others are trying too.

Cork has a proud history of innovation, and we believe it can lead in reimagining how we move.

Next week, Europe comes to Cork - not just to talk, but to walk, ride, cycle, and collaborate on a more inclusive, affordable, and sustainable future for transport.